POST WEEK NINE WAIVER WIRE ACQUISITIONS

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There are a lot of options suddenly after week nine to help bolster your fantasy football rosters. Review and get your waiver wire bids and priorities optioned before waivers go through.

Nick Foles
Chip Kelly’s demeanor in post games is right beneath Bill Belicheck in his tone. Sunday though you could tell his body language was saying finally! This is the offense Chip Kelly envisioned for four full quarters. Turnovers were avoided and the defense of the Raiders just couldn’t stop Foles. Can Foles keep this up or will he have a major regressive game? For now he is a must pick up after that performance.

Christian Ponder
Ponder had a couple of poor plays Sunday but he is showing strong signs of growing. He threw the football down the field more than he has since the week one game against Detroit. In turn the offense had a balance which resulted in AP’s first breakout game in quite some time. Don’t look now but Ponder has sudden fantasy value. With his ability to get fantasy points for you with his legs, Ponder is a sneaky waiver wire pickup.

Zac Stacy
I won’t point out the obvious performance from Stacy Sunday. The only notion I’ll give for fantasy owners is that he is possibly available for your league. Owned in just 71% of Yahoo Leagues currently.

Jon Stewart
Stewart’s first action on the field this season went fairly well. He ran the football nine times for forty two yards and also netted over twenty yards receiving. Carolina is going to remain one of the heaviest running teams in the NFL. Stewart may not get 100 yards rushing on a weekly basis but he can be a solid eight to ten fantasy points here and there with net yardage.

Chris Ivory
The Jets success in their five wins is simple. They have to play sound defense and their running game has to be clicking on all cylinders. That formula keeps the pressure off of Geno Smith and the game manageable. Ivory delivered a resounding performance against his former team in the Saints Sunday. Now it’s a matter of if Ivory can propel his success forward or not.

Rashad Jennings
Down goes McFadden. The Raiders need to hire a live DJ that not only pumps music through the stadium but also acts like a boxing referee for the injury woes of McFadden. Jennings stepped in and performed well, albeit, in a blowout home loss to the Eagles. If you heavily depend on McFadden you likely already have Jennings. Other owners just may want to pickup Jennings and see how the situation plays out with McFadden.

Giovanni Bernard
Cincinnati could do no wrong when they involved Bernard in their offense Thursday night. Somehow the Bengals need to get a higher volume of play calls for Bernard. You can see the same pattern with Bernard that the Cardinals had with Andre Ellington, before he exploded in his first heavy action against Atlanta.

Shane Vereen
This is just a friendly reminder that Vereen is expected to return by week eleven. This late in the season is crucial for fantasy football owners heading to the playoffs to seek an advantage. Vereen can be that, as the Patriots should resort back to running the football more once he returns.

Mike James
Tampa Bay is becoming the new fit for plug in running backs to succeed. LeGarrette Blount did it after Cadillac Williams had success. Then came current injured running back Doug Martin, and now it’s Mike James. James nearly became the main reason for a monumental Las Vegas underdog upset Sunday in Seattle. Nevertheless the current 47 percent of James owners in Yahoo leagues are thrilled.

Doug Baldwin
He just keeps cracking the fantasy radar. When things are looking dim for the Seahawks, Baldwin sees the field more. It happened against the Houston Texans and in other situations this year. Even when Percy Harvin hits the field do not expect Baldwin to fade out of Russ Wilson’s favor.

Riley Cooper
Cooper was non existent the first five games of the season. Over the last month he has come along strong. It’s a shocker that he wasn’t more productive earlier in the season with the amount of throws the Eagles do. The difference in time frames was who was at quarterback. Since Foles has been under center Riley has been a solid WR3 or flex option for fantasy owners. Yet he is still available for fantasy owners to pursue on the waiver wire.

Best Ratios of Catches to Targets Week Eight

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Ted Ginn Jr
Ginn Jr has had sprinkled results of success during the Panthers recent rise over the last four games. He adds the dimension of speed that is the perfect neutralizer to keep defenses on their heels against a Panthers effective run game. Ginn caught five of six targets week eight.

Calvin Johnson
Johnson ripped apart the Cowboys fans’ hearts with a day for the ages. His stats alone were out of the ordinary. What made his day even more remarkable is that Dallas could not halt Johnson’s catches to targets a tad. He had fourteen catches on sixteen targets.

Dexter McCluster
Five to ten years ago safety valve targets for a quarterback came via tight ends and preferred slot receivers. Nowadays teams have primary check down backs to get in the open field. McCluster has made a niche on the Chiefs roster as an open field threat to go long distances. Sunday he caught seven of ten targets.

Stevie Johnson
The best attribute to Johnson this season has been his maturity. He was starting to live up to the new age diva NFL receivers that were accustomed to showboating. He has toned that down and also kept quiet to the media. Sunday he finished with seven catches on eleven targets.

DeSean Jackson
Throughout the quarterback carousel in Philadelphia, DeSean Jackson has remained a fantasy football haven at wide receiver. Each week he is providing a different element. In years past you just couldn’t depend on Jackson from a consistency standpoint. This past week he bypassed double digits in fantasy points by catching eight of eleven passes.

Cecil Shorts III
Even though the Jaguars haven’t done enough to get a win this year, they’ve been a different ball club offensively with Chad Henne at quarterback over Blaine Gabbert. Part of that had to do with Justin Blackmon’s return from suspension, but mostly it’s the attributes Henne has over Gabbert. Shorts caught seven of ten targets Sunday.

David Nelson
Geno Smith’s weeks at quarterback are as unpredictable as your drunk buddy playing darts. Each game (round) may be different because with sporadic play. Smith clearly does not even have a number one target to throw to which is hurting his development. Any game the Jets are down double figures the Jets chances for a comeback are gone out the window. Nelson was the latest receiver to join Smith’s target list catching eight of twelve throws Sunday.

Others: Reggie Bush 8 catches/9 targets, Jordan Cameron 4 catches/4 targets, Scott Chandler 7 catches/11 targets, Victor Cruz 7 catches/10 targets, Emmanuel Sanders 7 catches/11 targets, Antonio Brown 9 catches/13 targets, Jordan Reed 8 catches/14 targets, Demaryius Thomas 7 catches/11 targets, Wes Welker 6 catches/10 targets, Harry Douglas 12 catches/18 targets, Jarrett Boykin 5 catches/6 targets,

Poor Results: Vincent Jackson 5 catches/13 targets, Terrance Williams 3 catches/10 targets, Mike Wallace 3 catches/10 targets, Justin Blackmon 4 catches/10 targets, AJ Green 3 catches/7 targets

Post Week Eight Waiver Wire Follow@cimini It seemed like there were more breakout games week eight even with six teams on a bye week. Go figure. Terrelle Pryor had fifteen fantasy points on one run within the first minute and a half of Sunday’s game. Marvin Jones and Calvin Johnson’s combined stats were enough to give someone a Pro Bowl nod. And at quarterback Andy Dalton, Drew Brees, and Peyton Manning shined yet again. Did your team succeed or did you have holes in certain spots that cost you a loss? No matter the results there are always roster improvements you can make. Andy Dalton Dalton is at the peak part of his football career. The Bengals are winning and winning with offense based on his arm. In prior years the Bengals would rely on their defense solely and a sound running game. That has reversed as the Bengals success offensively has hinged on improved tight end play along with emerging receivers besides AJ Green. Dalton will likely dip a bit from what he has done recently, but should be a viable fantasy backup quarterback. Peyton Hillis It’s crazy to think that Hillis could be factor on a fantasy team but the Giants are now on a two game win streak. It’s come by giving Hillis a high volume of carries which in turn has limited Eli Manning’s costly mistakes. Even though Hillis hasn’t had a breakout prototype game, he is garnering enough carries to be a fantasy waiver wire pickup. Andre Ellington Ellington is also a repeat entry onto my weekly waiver wire column. Arizona had been using Ellington as a spark as a pass catching tailback, and now they’ve explored and found success with him as their main back. This is exactly what the Cardinals need to lessen the burden on high volume turnover prone quarterback Carson Palmer. Daniel Thomas Miami did a bit better with controlling the time clock against New England by increasing the amount of carries in the backfield. It still didn’t prevent a couple of timely turnovers by Ryan Tannehill but did show success with the duel backfield with Thomas and Miller. Thomas has been non relevant for quite some time, but it wouldn’t be surprising to see him garner double digit carries as Miami tries to figure out a way to calm Tannehill down. Jonathan Stewart Stewart is currently only owned by ten percent of fantasy owners. During Thursday’s telecast between the Bucs and Panthers the announcers made it evident that Stewart looked great in warmups. He should be able to return this week. It’s been awhile since Stewart and DeAngelo Williams have been able to compliment each other, but it’s clear the Panthers have an effective ground game going now. Ignore the past two years when the Panthers would hardly run the football. Over the last month the Panthers have ran the ball with authority. Stewart should join in on making the Panthers even more dynamic. Joel Dreessen Look for a diagnosis on Julius Thomas. He left the game against Washington with an ankle injury. Thomas’s history with ankle injuries leaves me to believe he will be out quite some time. If that’s the case that means Dreesen and Jacob Tamme are moved up to prominent fantasy roles. Dreesen should have more of an impact than Tamme, and deserves the fantasy pickup nod over him. Marvin Jones Eliminate any thoughts of Jones surging to the top spot on your fantasy teams at wide receiver. He has had two solid weeks and a phenomenal performance Sunday. Opponents haven’t necessarily made it hard for the Bengals offensive success as of late. Andy Dalton has had high success on a low amount of completions. A reliable ratio of where Dalton is going to throw the football is up in the air, but Jones is someone you obviously want to grab if you can. Kenny Stills Where is Marques Colston you ask? No he is not on injured reserve. Teams number one defensive backs have done a stellar job at matching up with Colston. Speed has been lost by Colston and the offensive strategy is different this year from the Saints. They’re doing a lot more dump off passes to their running backs and getting their younger receivers involved more. Stills is one of them and has the brightest future. Terrance Williams Dallas is on that roller coaster that starts with a big free fall. They’re going downhill and as a team sinking quickly. Offensively they’re a one track beat that can only win with a passing game. With Miles Austin gradually fading with a perpetual hamstring, Williams is going to see his involvement rise week to week. Especially with the decline of Jason Witten. Ted Ginn Jr Ginn has been listed by myself on numerous occasions. He stretches the field and has been part of the resurgence on a Panthers team that looked in the dumps a month ago. Offensively Carolina is doing a great job of mixing up their play call selection. It’s nothing fancy but it has calmed Cam Newton down from making his typical mistakes. Tiquan Underwood With Mike Williams now out for the season the Buccaneers will rely on Underwood to emerge based on their depth at receiver. It’s obvious the Buccaneers as a team are in a world of hurting. They’re not only one of the worst teams in the NFL, they’re also ranking towards the bottom when it comes to production from a fantasy football standpoint. With the defense regressing by the week it, there will continue to be a lot of drop back opportunities for rookie Glennon.

Post Week Seven Waiver Wire Pickups

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Your fantasy football season is officially beyond the halfway mark. Fantasy playoffs will be under way in the less than two months. Are you in position to make a run or are you cemented at the bottom of the league? There’s always a chance to get on a winning streak with a few key additions.

Quarterbacks

Josh McCown
The Bears offense didn’t skip a beat when McCown stepped in with Cutler’s groin injury. McCown is a capable starter that has plenty of them under his belt. As a Cardinal he staged comeback wins and has been a quarterback teams have wanted to retain in case an injury pops up. Count on McCown to make less mistakes and run the offense the way Trestman wants.

Andy Dalton
You could see Dalton’s confidence reemerge after a deep ball completion for a touchdown early against the Lions. Over the last four weeks Dalton had been erratic. It looked like the offense may cave under his guidance. He picked himself up and put on a show against a Detroit defense that has performed better as of late. A key reason for Dalton’s slide was the fact that defenses had shielded AJ Green nicely. Great players like Green won’t be held down permanently.

Running Backs

Chris Ivory
A lot of crucial plays went the New York Jets way against New England. An area they had consistency though came with the legs of Chris Ivory. He brought stability to the run game even though his yards per carry average doesn’t showcase that. Bilal Powell did an admirable job in a few games and may still have an impact but Ivory brings the punch teams look for from an every down back. Rex Ryan wants to stay in games and will do so using the running game and defense.

Roy Helu
Washington can score offensively. If they weren’t a potent offense I would have just considered Helu a one week wonder. They’ve always been a team that carries the football a lot. With Alfred Morris not having the campaign he did a year ago, it has opened up the opportunity for Helu to steal some carries. Touchdowns won’t come as easy as they did Sunday, but you want to get Helu just for the volume of runs Washington does.

Jacquizz Rodgers
With Steven Jackson still shelved with an injury the Falcons have resorted to what the Chargers and Saints do. That is utilize the short passing game with their receivers and running back Jacquizz Rodgers. For Rodgers he was able to ignite the Falcons Sunday with two touchdowns and nearly 50 yards receiving. Rodgers has dotted the fantasy radar before but never could be relied upon with the Falcons weapons. Well now Rodgers is one of their main weapons with Julio Jones down and Roddy White missing time as well.

Tight Ends

Marcedes Lewis
Lewis made it back onto the field for the first time in 2013 Sunday. The results were only one catch for 31 yards. This is a chance to grab a tight end if you’ve had issues throughout the season in that department. He is a big athletic target that looked solid in the preseason. He will have more involvement in the Jaguars passing game that has been better since Justin Blackmon returned from suspension.

Jordan Reed
You could see the breakout game coming weeks ago from Reed. The Redskins involved Reed just enough to get you to think he was on the cusp. He is the new age tight end breed that presents matchup problems for defenses every down. With RG3 now regaining his form the offense is looking much better. It did help that Reed was facing a Bears defense that could not slow any series down Sunday.

Wide Receivers

Jarrett Boykin
After a few drops last week against Baltimore it didn’t appear Boykin would be capable of a big game. Facing the Browns secondary which has been solid even made it more daunting for Boykin to have success. He caught eight of ten targets Sunday and had the dagger touchdown in the fourth quarter. Rodgers can make a name out of anyone, and Boykin is just the latest to move up the ranks with injuries present.

Darrius Heyward-Bey
The more and more that Trent Richardson continues to disappoint the less carries he has been getting. That lives an easy summation that the Colts are going to remain a passing team. They’ve been a dependable fantasy team that can have three wide receivers be fantasy worthy. Bey hasn’t been a statistical standout but he is showing progress as the season goes on. He could propel into a nice flex option or bench option when a solid start presents itself.

Riley Cooper
Two weeks in a row now Cooper has emerged as a go to target in the Eagles offense. Mike Vick if he is fully healthy he may be renamed starter after the team’s woeful offensive performance. DeSean Jackson’s numbers are coming down a bit as teams are defending him better. Cooper will have continued opportunities to be a fantasy threat.

Harry Douglas
Fantasy owners that inserted Douglas got more than they bargained for in fantasy points Sunday. Obviously the Falcons injury woes have stricken the team at running back and wide receiver. Matt Ryan is still upright and that means the Falcons are going to throw no matter if they have practice squad receivers on the field. Douglas has played his role throughout the years as a Falcon and now gets to prove he can be a force.

Post Week Six Waiver Wire Pickups

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Six weeks are officially in the books. Before you know it it’s going to be down to those final two to three fantasy weeks to clinch a fantasy playoff spot. Hopefully you’ll be in contention when it comes around to that. Here are some players to consider adding to bolster your fantasy team.

Nick Foles
If Foles is named starter, than insert Foles as one of the hottest pickups of the week. Before Vick was hurt he ranked near the top with fantasy quarterbacks for points. Foles stepped in Sunday and withstood playing from behind twice and played with poise. Just when it looked like momentum would sway to the home team Buccaneers, Foles would deliver another long bomb with accuracy.

Zac Stacy
St. Louis will likely finish the season as a team in the bottom five for rushing, but a back that can get double digit carries deserves a look on fantasy rosters. The Rams have been up and down all season, but have three wins to speak of. Stacy has garnered the feature back role from Daryl Richardson and had a semi-productive outing against the Texans. Stacy is only worth a pickup in deeper leagues.

Khiry Robinson
The Saints and Sean Payton are making a pattern out of using unheralded backs in their system. A year ago they utilized Chris Ivory to success. Robinson has been the most effective runner for the Saints. It’s catching the eyes of the Saints as he has went from only getting a couple of carries a game to seven this past week. It wouldn’t be surprising to see him get ten or more carries in upcoming games.

Andre Ellington
For the first five games of the season Ellington had shown the all-purpose aspect in limited action. Sunday he had another all-purpose game with only seven carries and five catches with a touchdown. Sooner or later the Cardinals are going to unveil Ellington as their feature back and see what he can do.

Brandon Jacobs
I’m not expecting Jacobs to have too many one hundred yard rushing games before the season ends. His fantasy value comes with crossing the plain in the end zone. He scored two rushing touchdowns against the Bears, and should be able to get close to seven or eight touchdowns by years end.

Heath Miller
Miller has always had a great rapport with quarterback Ben Roethlisberger. Since returning to action he has added a new component to the Steelers offense. Ben is more comfortable when plays break down. Sunday, he made a fantastic throw on a third and long to where only Miller could haul in the pass. It led to points on the board and got the Steelers the confidence to win on the road.

DeNarius Moore
We have seen a few big plays now from the Oakland Raiders offense in the last three weeks. Terrelle Pryor still isn’t comfortable enough to be a pocket passer for four quarters. Big plays that do happen in the passing game only come once or twice a game. Still with how big of a threat Pryor is with his legs, those 1-2 chances are going to be there each game.

Riley Cooper
The where is Riley Cooper fliers can be returned now. He finally made an impact on the field in an offense that should make all the receivers fantasy worthy. His biggest play came on a pivotal long touchdown that gave the Eagles the lead for good. Cooper’s role as a fantasy asset needs a few quality games before he can be used in lineups. But for a waiver wire acquisition though he can ride the bench for a few weeks.

Brandon LaFell
When Cam Newton has games that he throws for over 175 yards, LaFell has been an adequate fantasy football contributor. The problem with any Panthers receiver being upgraded from bench depth to a starting role is the consistency of Cam’s arm. Sunday he came back to life again, and likely most of you had him on your bench Sunday.

Follow@cimini It was a big week for unheralded receivers. Welcome back Justin Blackmon. There will be other names attached to your at the receiver position to be added this week on waivers. Ryan Fitzpatrick If you can get solid points from a quarterback than can run the football then do it. Fitzpatrick has a fantasy history and gets to fill in for a month for Jake Locker. Sunday he ran for fifty yards and a touchdown, even though he deduced those eleven points by four with two picks. He’s worthy of fantasy consideration in deeper leagues or for a team in desperation for a fill in quarterback. Terrelle Pryor The second half wasn't the best for Pryor as the Raiders couldn't muster much. For Pryor though he has shown enough glimpses to be a viable fantasy backup quarterback to say the least. He has great speed to blister by defenses, and is doing enough with his arm on rollouts to show capable accuracy for an every week starter. Defenses adjust quickly, so it'll be interesting to see how Pryor does over the course of the season when there is more game tape on him. Donald Brown TRich is still struggling to get acclimated to a new system. A football team can’t wait for results, and Chuck Pagano isn’t. The Colts will continue to be a passing team that runs to keep defenses honest. While doing so, it’s going to open the doors for Donald Brown if Trent Richardson continues to struggle. The Colts invested a first round pick on Brown a few years ago and aren’t afraid to use Brown in a share with Richardson. Pierre Thomas It’s a whirlwind how the Saints are winning without a true running game. Sean Payton is figuring out a way and it’s by mixing in the short passes marvelously. Similar to how the Chargers are running their offense, the Saints are fine with the short pass completions for five or six yards with Pierre Thomas and Darren Sproles. Sooner or later defenses are not going to be able to curtail the Saints running game. That makes Thomas an even bigger stock riser for his field. Shane Vereen Alert, alert. Before Shane Vereen went out due to injury he was overtaking Stevan Ridley as the Patriots feature back. Now Ridley is hurt and the Patriots are utilizing LeGarette Blount. Vereen’s due date to return from injury is right around the corner. Don’t wait for the report that he is probable before you get on board. Be proactive and grab Vereen for a prime time back to finish the fantasy season with. Chris Ivory Ivory is back in the fold after being out for quite awhile. The Jets will look to groom their rookie with better ball protection. In order to do so they'll lean on their ground attack with Powell and Ivory. Ivory had great value as a Saint out of nowhere. On an offense enforcing the run with a great offensive line, Ivory can be one of the better second backs in a duel back system in fantasy football. Zac Stacy I’m not putting much into the Rams semi success at a duel back system week five. Daryl Richardson still averaged below four yards a carry after being demoted to backup. Stacy is going to get more of an opportunity to take a higher share of this split backfield. He may not be the complete answer but an opportunity for a top time share back doesn’t present itself in fantasy football this often. Grab Stacy and see if he can be a decent acquisition. Andre Ellington I’ve touched on how certain teams are resorting to a short passing attack with their backs to compromise a non-existent running game (San Diego and New Orleans). Arizona fits that bill as well but to a lesser extent with Ellington. They’re still working him in to their offensive packages. But he has been a spark in a limited role through five games. With Carson Palmer struggling majorly over the last two to three games, they’re going to need Ellington on the field more to lessen the burden for Palmer. Terrence Williams Miles Austin is no stranger to nagging injuries. Dallas thinks they’re a playoff team. They may end up being one but it’ll be a tough road to climb. In the process they’ll try to ensure Austin does not rush back until he is fully recovered. While Austin remains sidelined Williams is going to continue to have the opportunities to shine in a high octane passing attack. Alshon Jeffrey For how much the Bears offense throws the football it was surprising to see how available Jeffrey’s truly is. He is only owned in 66% of Yahoo leagues even after a couple of solid games thus far this season. How he has remained on waivers is mind boggling. People ran to scoop Donnie Avery but left Jeffrey’s. Go figure. Keenan Allen The rookie had a high impact against the Raiders Sunday. He could of had two touchdowns but one was taken off the board on a challenge. The Chargers are going to get the bulk of their yardage offensively through the air. With Allen getting a prominent role with Floyd out for the year, fantasy owners should be able to secure a solid waiver wire acquisition with Allen. Justin Blackmon The suspension tag for four games prohibited 40% of Yahoo leagues to consider Blackmon a fantasy risk. A month to wait was too long for owners. Based on Blackmon’s finish to last year there was evidence that he had some value. Jacksonville’s offense isn’t going to pile up points which negates Blackmon’s overall fantasy value. But yardage wise he should be proficient. He can stack solidly as a number three to four fantasy wide receiver. Doug Baldwin Seattle is not a fantasy oasis at receiver. Percy Harvin may increase that thinking if he returns. For now the Seahawks have allotted to mix it up with their corp group of Baldwin, Tate, and Rice. Out of all of them, Baldwin continues to be the presence at receiver that Wilson defers to when scrambling. Baldwin is getting on the field more. With the Seahawks defense now allowing points, Seattle is resorting more to a passing attack than rushing the football. A shift from a year ago. Baldwin’s stock is approaching a top 35 to 40 fantasy receiver status.